h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just to let you know I'm working on a summary of this thread. It's blooming hard.

Have a read through A83376624. See what you think. I've tried to summarise as much as I can and it's still pretty long.

Long is good, means there's been lots of input and it looks to me that you hit every salient point to date. Bravo!

Phew! Cheers for the feedback, Spynxxx!

Wow! You're a star.

Do you want me to turn it into paragraphs of prose with intermittent bullet lists, or would you feel up to that? I really will publish the updated GBD on Sunday. I have to, there's too much that's backed up and ready to go into it.

B

I *can* do it, but not tonight as I'm singing in a concert. If I'm honest I'm going to be stretched for time this weekend - it might be OK but I can't promise anything, sorry.

Don't worry about it at all and don't be sorry - you are doing enough and more than enough. Especially considering everything else going on in your life.

You know, the idea of surveys as presented originally by Haragai is a good one but I wonder, does this entail giving feedback on a certain point or is it the mutiple choice 'Vote' sort where you vote and comments or discussion are optional? If you don't know the sort it is a blind vote and tallies become visible only after you've cast your own. I like this scheme because it allows people to cast their's anonomously with minimum fuss and the hiding of the running scores keeps your vote honest.

It's a simple and effective way of taking the temperature on any given subject from the broadest base possible, very helpful in structuring for the greatest appeal on any opinion you can think and it's fun to boot. Location on the 'Front Page' would be a good way to get reasearchers to check it more often and thus be exposed to info on all the news,contests or what have you that have been suggested.

From an advertising perspective it's a good way to get people to the front page so the potential purchaser of the site can have maximum exposure on the largest billboard for whatever it is they're selling via multiple banners and the like or promotion of whatever it is that they're about.

Surveys are good. We likes suveys. What needs thinking through is what you do with the results. We definitely need a readers' survey to understand our users who aren't members. We didn't use Martin's survey because, though his questions were really interesting, they were more about the psychology of the users than about web experience. I'd have been fascinated by the results but we couldn't have based a plan on them. I ought to dig through the google group to find the suggestions I made about the survey at the time and see if we can pull something together.

We also need to work out ways of putting democracy into action on the site.

In fact, watch this space... I'll sign in as Magrathea later in the day and kick off a thread about surveys, votes, consultation and democracy.

Ben

I'm just a little worried about the emphasis being weighted towards this being a writing site. I had it my mind four groups that we are trying to engage, readers, writers, artists and peeps that like to yabber.

Couple of random comments, I like the idea of there being a discussion forum for entries not keen on the idea of latest disucssions being put on being put on Ask.

Getting people over the gate and hooking them in, I wondered if a couple of feature sections in the post, cooking, gardening, nature for example might make for an inny, getting over that hurdle of posting your first posts in a conversation that is not to intimindating.

On promoting, I think we have to ditch the immediate reference to hitchhikers, so h2g2 is the user driven guide to life the universe and everything, a site where you can read, write or discuss anything that interests you (for example) would be the google snippet.
Hitchhikers reference is easily misinterupted, is a hurdle that some will never get over, and doesn't give a clear idea of what we are about.

Last thing, community events, online ones not meets, over a period of a w/e,h2g2 beer fest, cheese and wine party, cocktail evening, ok, all those are booze related but one led to another....

You know Peanut, I think that's a result of years of the "Write a guide entry, it's your duty" mentality at work. I've never written one and have no intention nor desire to do so either. I have never been one to 'jabber' though I think it's the glue that holds this whole place together through thick and thin. Heck, I intentionally left any artwork (ie; GuideML) out of my personal space though I love and live all forms of art, both sides of my family being involved in every form from painting to music.

Like you, I'm a reader though I have in the past tried to help through volunteer work and found it very rewarding, a way I could contribute that was within my scope. All the things on your list are and have always been vital in keeping this place the sanctuary that it is for all of us and I think they will continue to be. Promotion of all should be first and foremost as they are all a vital part of what makes this place unique and keeps people engaged.

BTW, I love the idea of a features section. A bit more promotion and encouragement would be a good way to grow readership in the Post and engage the community on commenting, building broader relationships and defeating some of the 'clique' atmosphere that has been a detriment to bridging the gaps between researchers. It's been done in various ways in the past but I think revisiting the well is a good way to find new blood, encouraging folks to not only post but take an active role in contributing through tips and advice they've gleened along the way without the whole 'Peer Review' or whatever it becomes in the future.

I'm glad you brought up the idea of ditching the 'Hitchhiker" thing as it's been gnawing at me for a few days. It seems to me it serves the purpose of turning away folks before they figure out what we're about. With all the choices available from your average search result this would be one I would never click just for the reason of thinking it a 'fan' site and of no interest. Call it sacrilege but I've never read a single one of the series. Though I tried, it wasn't my cup of tea yet here I am and have been since stumbling in. I love the idea of the Guide and if there's a way to draw more folks in then I am all for doing whatever it takes to do so but I think it's the mission, not the name that is most important.

Hee hee, writing and talking - it's like ying and yang. You can't have one without the other.

A pure-bred writing site with no social element would die on its feet. On the hand, a website for socialising but with no sense of why this site over any other wouldn't work either. The reason h2g2 is great is because these two elements hold each other together.

It is a writing site, but its also a reading side, and a talking site. The 'Engaging the Community' strategy is going to be talked about as much, if not more, than how the writing side of things work. Everyone can have a place and support h2g2 even if writing Entries isn't their thing.

I agree that h2g2 was never supposed to be a fan site and should never be.

Grudgingly decided to but there's NO WAY that I'm offering to proofread anything while 'certain' committee members insist on posting in Barlesque. You can take your ' riddled postings, turn them sideways and shove.... well, you get the idea.

Radox, the documents that are proofread are in Google Documents. They have nothing to do with Barlesque.

Radox, don't take other people's habit of posing in Barlesque out on me. I have mentioned it to Z (and he's watching me type this), and I'll mention it again to Sol.

Ben

Sorry about the Barlesque, I spent last week away from home on a course, and ended up dropping into various conversations from various shared PCs introducing the dreaded Barlequse.

Back in Brunel for me now..

When I'm on my desktop I use whatever skin I get linked through to. When I'm browsing the Guide in lurk mode it's from my phone and Barlesque is the best skin for that I find.

Sorry if some people don't like it but the world would be a rather dull place if we were all the same now wouldn't it?

I only did it once! By accident!

But I've stopped doing the links in Barlesque from the updates too, if that helps.

Is the apostrophe problem the only telltale sign of Barlesque use? If so, then bend over backwards not to use any apostrophes.

I've actually wandered over to peruse (casually, not proof reading, just reading) the GBD. I'm wondering if anyone thinks it's a good idea to point my non-h2g2 friends towards it, to 1) see if it makes sense to someone that has no clue about h2g2 and 2) see if I can get anyone onto h2g2. I'd point out that it's a work in progress.